I Am Not (one-person room series)

I Am Not is an installation made of semi-translucent handmade abaca paper tiles with locks of hair embedded in and jutting out of the bottoms, cap­ped by a larger-than-life dome of long brown hair. Inside the room players are confronted with a choice to either turn on a dim light bulb or to push a button on a tiny flashlight. Only one choice reveals a collection of words used to refer to women – some benign and humorous, others crude and degrading. Players are made aware of the complications of stereotype and of how hair has been elevated to the crown jewel of woman. Though my intent is to bring awareness of stereotypes as they relate to identity within a place, players bring their own ideas and rituals about hair into the room along with their own genders, ages, cultures, races and religions, creating an infinite number of experiences and meanings.

Included in the You Are Here exhibition, Further Polycontemporary, Atlanta, GA, May 2014.